THE MODERN "FIVE O'CLOCK."
"A cup she designates as mine
With motion of her dainty finger;
The kettle boils--oh! drink divine,
In memory shall thy fragrance linger!"
Although indebted to England for the afternoon tea, it is a very
informal affair across the water. It doubtless originated in suburban
homes, where during the hunting and holiday seasons, large and merry
house-parties are entertained for weeks together. Returning late from
driving or field sports the tired guests require some light refreshment
before making their toilets for the evening dinner. The English hostess
very sensibly meets this claim upon her hospitality by serving tea and
biscuit in library or drawing-room.
From this small beginning comes the American "Five O'Clock," one of the
prettiest of all social functions, and still smiled upon by Dame Fashion
as a favorite method of entertaining. Decorative in character, it gives
opportunity to display the treasures of porcelain, glass, silver,
embroidered napery and all the lovely table-appointments that everywhere
delight the heart of woman. More exquisite than ever before are the
little tea-tables--a succession of crescent shaped shelves, rising one
above the other, two, three or four in number, as the taste inclines.
Upon these, resting on cobwebs of linen or lace, are placed the
priceless cups, tiny spoons, graceful caddy and all other articles
necessary to the service. The silver caddy is now a thing of sentiment
as well as use--one recently bestowed as a bridal gift bearing engraved
upon it this little verse:
"We sit and sip--the time flies fast,
My cup needs filling,--project clever!
She comes and I grown bold at last
Say 'Darling, make my tea forever!'"
In the future of married life, how sweet this reminder of the past, when
all the days were golden in the light of love, youth and hope! Another
couplet pretty and suggestive is found in
"A cup and a welcome for everyone,
And a corner for you and me."
Amid flowers and softly shaded lights sits the gracious woman who pours
the liquid gold into the fragile cups, dispensing meanwhile, smiles and
the bright charming small talk that is so necessary to the success of
these occasions. A wise hostess selects for this important position the
most brilliant, tactful woman within her circle of friends. The menu,
although by no means regulated on the English house-party plan, should
consist of trifles--sandwiches, wafers, fancy cakes, ices, and possibly
a salad. Foreigners understand the value of the simple feast which makes
frequent entertaining possible and a delight rather than a burden. In
America the menu, decorations, etc., grow more and more elaborate from
the ambition of each successive hostess to out-do her neighbor, until
the economy and beauty of simplicity is irretrievably lost in the
greater expense, fatigue and crush of a more pretentious function.
At the afternoon tea guests may come and go in street toilet, with or
without a carriage in accordance with preference and pocketbook. However
elegant the appointments and surroundings of this special function, the
progressive hostess must remember that her culture will be judged by the
quality of the beverage she serves. It is an age of luxury and refined
taste in palate, as in other things, and _tea_ is no longer TEA, unless
of a high grade and properly brewed. The woman who trusts her domestic
affairs to a housekeeper, or in the event of attending to them herself,
depends wholly for the excellence of an article upon the price she pays,
is a very mistaken one. Without informing herself she may very naturally
conclude that Russian or Caravan tea is cultivated, buds and blossoms in
the land of the Czar, until later on, when her ignorance meets a
downfall in some very embarrassing way.
The high-class, fancy teas of China are prepared by special manipulation
and for the use of wealthy families in the Celestial Empire and are
therefore never exported to other countries. Russian tea-merchants,
recognizing this, send shrewd buyers across the desert into China just
at the season to secure the choicest pickings for future consumption by
the nobility of their own country. Of late years the "Five O'Clocks"
and consequent craze for fine teas in America has tempted them to obtain
a small quantity above the requirements of their titled patrons in
Russia and this they export to the United States. If genuine, the name
Russia or Caravan tea signifies the choicest and most expensive grade
procurable the world over. It will be remembered that among the many
gifts bestowed when in this country by its recent guest, Li Hung Chang,
were beautifully ornamented boxes and packages of this delicately
flavored and fragrant tea. The high class grades from India and Ceylon,
although not as costly as the Russian, may be used by the hostess of the
modern "Five O'Clock" without risk to her reputation as a woman of
culture. She will consent, however,
"That tea boiled,
Is tea spoiled,"
and avail herself of the pretty and convenient silver-ball, or the
closely covered pot or cups in which these rare teas should never brew
over three minutes. For the famous tea service of China and Japan, tiny
covered cups are always presented.
The American hostess will regret when too late, the many advantages of
the afternoon tea, alas! foolishly sacrificed upon the altar of her
vanity to excel in the extravagance of hospitality. Even now experience
teaches that "a tea" means anything from its original intention of
informal, pleasant social intercourse with light refreshments, to the
function which includes hundreds of guests, who are entertained at a
banquet presenting the most expensive achievements of florist and
caterer. In repudiation of this is the strict code of etiquette
requiring that "an invitation be worded to indicate truthfully the exact
character of the hospitality it extends. Courtesy to guests compels
this, that they may be able to conform in toilet to the occasion and
thus avoid the mortification of being under or over-dressed, the
_latter_ to be counted as much the greater misfortune." This from a very
ancient book, it is true, but its lesson in good manners is none the
less pertinent now than when written in the dead past.
It remains with the hostess, whether one shall enjoy the pleasures and
privileges of the pretty Five O'Clock. Whether in the line of elegance
or simplicity, the tea Russian or Ceylon, it can be dainty, well served,
and lovely with flowers of sweet graciousness and cordial welcome. These
united may be depended upon to make it the social success coveted by
every woman who poses as a hostess, whether in cottage or palace!
Nowhere are the artistic instincts of a modern hostess more charmingly
brought to bear than in the appointments of her tea-table. To show
individuality in this cosy afternoon ceremony, is an aim not difficult
to reach.
The Russian table should have a cloth with insertion bands of the strong
Muscovite peasant lace that is brightened by red and blue threads in the
pattern; a tea caddy of niello work; and a brass samovar, of course.
Facilities for fitting out a Japanese tea-table can be found almost
everywhere. The "correct" outfit consists of a low lacquered table,
lotus-blossom cups--with covers and without handles--and a plump little
teapot heated over an _hibachi_ of glowing charcoal. It is not a
Japanese custom to have the tea-table covered, but the famous
embroiderers of Yokohama, having learned to cater to foreign tastes, now
send out tea-cloths of the sheerest linen lawn, with the national bamboo
richly worked in white linen floss above the broad hem-stitched hem.
These are exquisitely dainty in appearance, but can be easily and
successfully laundered--a very important consideration.
But the quaintest of all is the Dutch table, where the sugar basin is
supported over the heads of chased silver female figures; the cream jug
is in the form of a silver cow, and the beguiling Jamaica shows richly
dark through a Black Forest spirit bottle.
Cakes and wafers have lost favor at tea-tables. They have been replaced
by little savories, which harmonize with the popular antique silver and
china, by passing under their old-fashioned name of "whets;" for the
afternoon tea, originally intended to be a light refreshment, had become
a detriment to the dinner. Savories, on the contrary, are a whet to the
appetite and clear the palate for the due appreciation of the dinner.
Two or three different kinds are usually served. Anybody possessed of a
little cooking knowledge can arrange a variety of them at a minimum of
trouble and expense, and in their variety lies half their charm.
There are many kinds of fish, both preserved in oil and smoked, that may
be used. These should be sprinkled with chopped _fines herbes_, placed
upon thin slices of fresh bread--from which the crust has been carefully
cut--rolled and served "_en pyramide_."
Toasted crumpets, heavily buttered, spread with _caviar_ upon which a
little lemon juice has been squeezed and served hot, are considered a
great delicacy at English tea-tables. Another way of serving _caviar_ is
to spread it on thin bread and butter, which is then rolled up like tiny
cigars. Russians declare, however, that the less done to _caviar_ the
better it will be, and to send it to the tea-table in its original jar,
with an accompaniment of fresh dry toast and quartered lemon, is the
fashion preferred by connoisseurs.
It takes a grand dame, so to speak, to give a tea. The vulgarian almost
always overdoes it. She gets things to eat, while the woman who knows
gets people, and doesn't care what they have to eat. There is nothing
about a whole shop of provisions, while people who dress well, look
well, talk well and behave well, make up that charming circle called
Society.
The tea table may be green and white. Palms, ferns, mignonette, mosses
and clusters of leaves lend themselves to the nicest effects against the
whites of the table-cloth and china. If color is preferred, there are
tulips and daffodils of gorgeous beauty, and good for a week's wear.
Nothing but white damask is used by gentlewomen. The woman who gives a
tea never pours it. There are other things she can do to please her
callers. Tea is usually served with candlelight, and to be a success
need cost next to nothing, for nothing need be served that is
substantial enough to dislocate the appetite for dinner. Some women
serve an old fashioned beat biscuit, about the size of an English
walnut, with the cup of tea. These biscuits are awfully good, but only
the old mammies who have survived the War know how to make them, and
there is where the old families have the advantage of the new people.
Others serve brown sandwiches made of Boston brown bread and butter.
More slices of lemon than cream jugs are used. Cream is something of a
nuisance, and if people don't take lemon they can take tea as Li Hung
Chang does. For a guest to have a preference and emphasize it, is
downright rude. To be asked to a lady's house is glory enough for any
one. The grumbler can go to a restaurant and take a cup and drink it up
for a dime.
AN AFTERNOON TEA.
Send out the invitation for an afternoon tea a week or ten days or even
two weeks beforehand. Use visiting cards and below the name or in the
lower left corner, the hours: 2 to 6, or any hours one chooses. On the
top of the card or below the name write the name of the guest for whom
the tea is given, if it is an affair in honor of some guest.
Decorate the rooms simply or elaborately as one chooses. For a small tea
simply fill the vases with flowers, and make a special feature of the
tea table in the dining room. Have a center basket of flowers and ferns
tied with satin ribbons on the handle, or have cut glass vases at the
corners. Use lighted candles, white, or the color of your flowers, if
carrying out a certain color scheme in the dining-room. Pink, red or
yellow are liked for this room as they are warm, bright colors. If the
tea is given in spring or summer, green and white are liked. Have
candles and shades match the color scheme and place silk or satin of the
color used under the mats and doilies. On the table have cut glass or
fine china dishes filled with candies, chocolates, salted nuts and
candied fruits. Tea may be served from one end of the table and an ice
from the other. Have a friend pour tea. Place before her the small cups,
saucers, spoons. She fills the cups and hands them to the guests or to
those assisting in the dining-room. The cream, sugar or slices of lemon
are passed by assistants. Piles of plates are on the table by the one
serving ice. The ice is served into a cut glass cup and placed on the
plate with a spoon. Cakes are passed; so are the bonbons. Serve tea and
chocolate or coffee. If one wish a more elaborate collation, pass
assorted sandwiches, which are on plates on the table, or have a plate
containing chicken salad on a lettuce leaf, olives and wafers. Waiters
are best when the refreshments include two or three courses. The ices
may be brought in or served from the table and the coffee and tea served
from the table.
Ask from five to ten friends to assist in the parlors, to see that
guests go to the dining-room and that strangers are introduced. Stand at
the entrance or before a bank of palms in a window or corner and greet
the guests. The guest or guests of honor stand with the hostess and she
introduces them. A great many ladies do not wear gloves when receiving,
but it is proper to wear them. It would seem that the hands would keep
in better condition to shake hands with guests, if gloves were worn.
Bank the mantels with ferns and flowers and cover the lights with pretty
shades of tissue paper. Use pink or green and white in the parlors and
red, yellow or pink in the dining-room. Serve a fruit punch from a table
covered with a white cloth and trimmed with smilax, ferns and flowers.
Use a large punch bowl and glass cups. Have a square block of ice in the
bowl. If a cut-glass punch bowl is used, care should be used lest the
ice crack it. Temper the bowl by putting in cold water and adding a few
bits of ice at a time until it is chilled. Do not put ice into a warm
bowl or one that has not been thus tempered.
If there is music have a string orchestra concealed behind palms in a
corner of the hall or dining-room.
TELLING FORTUNES BY TEAGROUNDS.
First, the one whose fortune is to be told should drink a little of the
tea while it is hot, and then turn out the rest, being careful not to
turn out the grounds in doing so, and also not to look at them, as it is
bad luck.
Then she must turn the cup over, so that no water remains, for drops of
water in the teagrounds signify tears.
Next, she must turn the cup around slowly toward her three times,
wishing the wish of her heart as she turns it.
After this she must rest it a minute against the edge of a saucer--to
court luck.
Then the fortune-teller takes it and reads the fortune.
Three small dots in a row stand for the wish. If near the top it will
soon be realized. If at the bottom some time will elapse.
If the grounds are bunched together it signifies that all will be well
with the fortune-seeker, but if they are scattered it means much the
reverse.
A small speck near the top is a letter. A large speck, a photograph, or
present of some kind, either one depending on the shape of the speck.
The sticks are people--light or dark, short or tall, according to their
color and length. A small one means a child. A thick one, a woman.
If they lie crosswise they are enemies. If straight up, intimate
friends, or pleasant acquaintances to be made.
If a large speck is near them, it means they are coming for a visit,
bringing a valise or trunk.
If there is a bottle shape near a stick it means a physician. If a book
shape, a minister or lawyer. If many fine specks, a married man.
The sticks with a bunch of grounds on their backs are bearers of bad
news, or they will "say things" about you.
A long line of grounds with no openings between foretells a journey by
water. If openings, by rail.
A large ring, closed, means an offer of marriage to an unmarried woman.
To a married one, it means a fortunate undertaking. To a man, success in
business.
A small ring is an invitation.
Dust-like grounds bunched together at the bottom or side are a sum of
money.
A triangle signifies good luck, so does an anchor or a horseshoe.
A half moon or star to married people means a paying investment. To
unmarried, a new lover or sweetheart.
A pyramid is extremely lucky.
A square or oblong, new lands.
Flowers, a present.
Leaves, sickness and death.
Fruit of any kind, health.
A hand, warning, if the fingers are spread. If closed, an offer of
friendship or marriage.
A cross signifies trouble. Any musical instrument, a wedding. Bird, suit
at law. Cat, deception. Dog, faithful friend. Horse, important news.
Snake, an enemy. Turtle, long life. Rabbit, luck. House, offer of
marriage, or a removal. Flag, some surprise or a journey to another
country.
A heart is the most propitious sign of all, as it means happiness,
fidelity, long life, health and wealth.